Skip Prejudice!
by Amtheoneuwant
Summary: Kyoko and Kanae Bennet encounter and struggle through the joys and woes of romance in 19th century England. This fanfic comes complete with eligible bachelors Ren Darcy and Yashiro Bingley-you won't want to miss this! RenxKyoko   KanaexYashiro
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: I don't own _Skip Beat!_ or _Pride and Prejudice. _ Also the names Teru and Anise are borrowed from the mangas Dengeki Daisy and Barajou No Kiss respectively, because I suck at coming up with Japanese names.

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Chapter One: News

Jelly Bennet surreptitiously eyed her husband Lory who was currently unnaturally immersed in the latest edition of Meryton news. Jelly continued to obnoxiously stare at her husband from her couch across the way until he felt he could stand it no longer.

"What?" he Lory sighed.

"You know _what; _don't give me that, Darling."

Jelly knew that her husband was as at least as calculating and skilled in the practice of manipulating people as she was. At not hearing a reply, she continued, "If you are reading that paper _only just now," (_Jelly loved to claim to be the first to know about anything that was going on in town, particularly if it had to do with men) "you must realize that someone has already perused its contents and has found out all there is to be known that could possibly apply to people like _us_ in a situation like _ours_."

Lory did not like where this was going, he had been down this road before, and somehow he ended up where he had started from. He took the bait again, "People like us…a situation like ours?"

"Precisely, Darling; do not pretend to be unaware of the fact that we are the proud parents of five yet unwed children, _GIRLS, _I may as well add. We have not much money to divide among them if you die…and you MUST die. I may go soon; my horrid nerves will someday upheave and overtake me, but your death will be the one that counts.

Lory nearly rolled his eyes at his wife's depiction of the family's plight, but he really did understand the magnitude of the situation his girls were in. Being the man he was, and knowing the kind of woman his wife was, Mr. Lory Bennet had already taken the liberty of searching the contents of the latest paper to glean any news whatsoever of any possible suitors for his daughters. He had already found that a certain Yukihito Bingley was to rent the not-so-far-off Netherfield Hall and had intended to pay the eligible young bachelor a visit the very next morning. But, being annoyed with his wife's nervous habit of killing him off every time she mentioned the fragile state of their daughter's future financial security, he decided then and there to go visit Mr. Bingley in the morning, and not tell Jelly until he was good and ready.

After his long silence, poor Jelly felt rather provoked and fully justified into the following violent actions. She gathered up her skirt about her, pulled her legs onto the little pink couch she was sitting on, sat up on her haunches, and proceeded to launch herself at her husband. As used to his wife's crazy antics as he was, he was still caught unprepared as his petite wife came flying toward him, pinky out, screaming, "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

Upstairs, three of the Bennet sisters were calmly and amicably discussing the latest news their aunt had given them about a rich young man who had just moved into their neighborhood.

"Did she say he was handsome?" Anise, the youngest of the three there asked with an earnestness that was somewhat disconcerting to the other two girls present.

"I could manage even if he were one the more unfortunate-looking men in existence, I mean, if he's as rich as everyone supposes he is," laughed Momose.

"I thought you said you would only marry your 'dearly beloved', you told me riches had little to do with it," said Kyoko, oldest of the three.

"True, but in times of trouble…a girl's got to do what she can."

"How lovely, now Mother's really rubbed off on you," Kyoko teased.

"What can I say, I'm her favorite, I heard her say so myself," beamed Momose.

Kyoko and Anise looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.

At that moment, Kanae, the eldest of the Bennet sisters walked into the room. "What is all this racket about—wait—let me guess—a man!" she exclaimed with biting sarcasm. Being the oldest unmarried sister of five had definitely taken its toll.

"Of course," Kyoko smiled.

"Ha, I knew it. There are only a few things that would cause Mum to poke Father's eyes out for."

"She poked his eyes out?" cried Anise.

"How can you be so calm?" Momose looked at her eldest sister in horror.

Kyoko was already out the door and a third of the way down the staircase. When she reached the halfway point, Kyoko let out a gasp upon seeing her mother straddled across her father's back, pulling his hair and shouting.

_And she thinks_ her_ nerves are frazzled_, Kyoko thought wryly.

Torn between amusement (not many young ladies in the whole of England could put claim to finding _their_ mothers in the position _her_ mother was in) and dismay, Kyoko felt that it was her duty to stop the abuse of her beloved father.

"GO SEE MR. BINGLEY! GO SEE MR. BINGLEY! GO SEE—"

"Mother?" Kyoko interrupted.

"Yes, dear?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm persuading your father to visit our new neighbor."

"Neighbor? Have you not heard there is more the one occupant to be at Netherfield these days?"

Jelly stopped mid-yank in Lory's hair, "Bless me! Are there more men?"

Kyoko suppressed the urge to roll her eyes (for if there was one thing that was not tolerated in Jelly's household, it was eye-rolling, despite the fact that Jelly herself had a rather hands-on approach to anger, as was the case now) at her mother's absurdly uplifted expression, "No Mum, Mr. Bingley has two sisters with him."

At hearing this news, Jelly visibly deflated.

Seeing that his wife was distracted, the effectively abused Lory used this chance to make his escape. He flipped his wife onto her back and quickly exited the room to escape to his office, where the females of Longbourne were not permitted to enter, and nurse his wounds.

Scarcely noticing his departure, Jelly sat up slowly and twisted her neck from side to side, cracking the bones in her neck, and wondered at the girls' source for information.

"Aunt Juli told us about Mr. Bingley and his two sisters. She says the elder one is already married; she is Mrs. Hurst and her husband is uncommonly fat. I do not know the given name of either of the sisters yet," Anise, who had been sitting at the top stair all this time, reported.

Tired of talking and hearing about men, Kanae who had been upstairs still laughing with Momose about their mother's passionate, but thus far fruitless career in matchmaking for her daughters, deigned to come downstairs.

"Mo! Where is Teru all this while? She is such an outcast."

Kyoko frowned at Kanae, "Don't be unkind; every one of us has our eccentricities."

"Yes, but poor Teru seems to have six too many," sighed Jelly. Jelly wondered if she would ever marry off her youngest daughter. Only time would tell; after all Teru was only thirteen, and if all went well for her sisters, she could stay with one of them.

Not knowing what to make of their mother's unexpected remark, Momose and Anise looked at each other with raised eyebrows and then each gave a soft, guilt-filled giggle.

"Really mother…" said Kyoko, not amused.

Though she had made enough mistakes in her nineteen years, though she had her faults, disloyalty was not one of them. Kyoko had a quick tongue, but did not delight in taking jabs at people with it…well, not unnecessarily anyway.

Kyoko cleared her throat when Teru herself appeared at the parlour's entryway looking upon the assembly that was her mother and sisters.

"I sneezed," she said awkwardly.

An even more awkward silence followed this statement.

"And?" Kanae prompted with an uplifted brow.

"Someone must've been talking about me. I read somewhere that's how it works in Japan."

Momose took a discreet look around the room, gauging her sisters' expressions. From this inspection, she could infer whether it would be tolerated to laugh or simply remain silent. Kanae looked exasperated, Kyoko patient, and Anise looked on the point of passing out from the laughter she was bravely trying to hold in.

Jelly intervened, saving Teru's sisters the trouble of making any type of response.

"We were not speaking of you, dear; however it works in Japan, it does not signify here in England. We were speaking about a suitor for your sisters."

Kanae's look changed from one of exasperation to absolute disgust. "Mo! I'm going upstairs."

Desperately grasping at an attempt to derail her mother's overly-discussed topic, Momose cried,"Wait! Anise and I are going to Meryton for ribbon, you could come too, if you'd like," she offered.

"Not for all the officers in the world," Kanae winked knowingly, then turned and went up the stairs.

"What a cow," Anise muttered.

"Well, I can come, what about you, Teru?" Kyoko asked.

"Well…I suppose I can finish my book, 'Burial Rituals of Newly Discovered Peoples', when we get back."

Momose and Anise turned to each other again with a look of disgust mirrored on their faces. Neither of them had any interest in such things. Teru would never find a bachelor at this rate. Oh well, every woman for herself; but when their time rolled around, they wouldn't be found with their nose in some obscure patch of a book, that was a nearly guaranteed way to miss out on any opportunities.

"Well that's settled, now isn't it? Seeing as you girls haven't a care about your unsettled future, despite your father's certain removal from this earth, I shall betake my much-harried nerves a rest while you all go prattle about town." With that slight tirade, the girls' mother removed herself from the room.

Not a bit sorry for her mother's gloom and despair, Momose said brightly, "Alright, let's everyone meet back here within a quarter of an hour. It's early yet; even walking to Meryton we still will have more than enough time to 'prattle about town'," she ended the sentence in mockery of her mother's so-called righteously martyred tone.

With that, the girls rushed up the stairs to their respective rooms, put on their respective shoes, shawls, coats, (it was a mid-spring day and the weather was fair and mild, whether to wear a coat or shawl was up to each person's tolerance for cold), and bonnets, and met downstairs again in the parlour as previously agreed upon.

Seeing themselves all ready and set for their vigorous walk, Kyoko led the group forth with a jubilant cry of, "To Meryton!", and the four girls swiftly set off.

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alrighty, this is my first fanfiction…

this may be a bit ambitious, but being a huge fan of both _Skip Beat!_ and _Pride and Prejudice_, i wanted to make something that combined both of my favorites. i sincerely hope you enjoy this combination. i will do my best to update once a week—it may be sooner than once a week, because i have a tendency to throw everything on paper and work it out right away, but we shall see…anyway, i'm sick with the flu and feeling somewhat creative right now, so this story is a result of my illness…no, wait, i meant creativity! this is going to be a rather long series and i would be grateful for any reviews you may have to offer along the way—good, bad, or ugly.

nice to meet you i,

Amtheoneuwant


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: I don't own _Skip Beat!_ or _Pride and Prejudice. _ Also the names Teru and Anise are borrowed from the mangas Dengeki Daisy and Barajou No Kiss respectively.

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Chapter Two: A Ball to be Held (Part One)

"So," began Mr. Yukihito Bingley to the general benefit of the two ladies and one other gentleman currently present in the spacious and abundantly decorated drawing-room, "there is a ball to be held at the next assembly."

"And when is it to be held?" asked his older, married sister Yuriko Hurst.

"Not even five days from today!" exclaimed Yukihito.

It honestly annoyed Chiori, Yukihito's younger sister when her brother got too excited. It was hard to get necessary information out of him whenever he was in this absurd state of glee.

"When is it?" she asked, point-blank.

"This Friday; the doors will open at six o' clock."

Though he would certainly never verbally confess to it, all outward appearances and expressions could only serve to highlight the suspicion that Yukihito was ridiculously fond of dances. The young man keenly enjoyed all the entertainment and merriments that only these such events could afford; he particularly embraced the opportunity to meet and intermingle with any of the available young ladies present.

"Shall we make our appearance?" Chiori asked lazily.

"Yes, I really think we must, if we expect to properly merge with our neighbors here—it really can't be avoided, I'm afraid," rejoined Yukihito solemnly, lamely trying to conceal his complete and utter delight at the necessity of attending a local country ball.

"It's only appropriate, I suppose," sighed Yuriko.

"It's all settled then. We are going to the ball." Yukihito could hardly contain himself. Now he must think of what to wear, being considered Meryton's current favorite bachelor under twenty-five was not a title to be taken lightly. _I wonder what I'll end up wearing, I _cannot_ disappoint, this will be my debut-_

"I don't know that this set of people know of true elevated society," spoke Chiori, interrupting her brother's train of thought. She continued, "Yuki, do you know I lay awake last night for nearly a half-hour after I had repaired to my chamber, trying to call precisely why I have so freely resigned myself in becoming the mistress of a home in such a dull and small neighborhood?"

"That, my dear sister," began Yukihito brightly, "is because either I am the recipient of your very warm and considerate sisterly attentions and affections, or merely because you felt it necessary to flee from a certain Mr.—"

"Oh, Yuki dear, _please;_ don't mention the name of that odious man here," interrupted Chiori with a melodramatic air.

"I can see that he is both a pester-ence _and_ a pestilence to you," smiled Yukihito.

"You can only be so teasing because you are not in my place yourself. If you found yourself constantly dogged and afflicted by the considerations of such a love-sick puppy, you would not be smirking now. But there, I suppose, lies the one major advantage in residing in such a country location as this: relative peace!"

"And so, now that you have come to that conclusion, I sincerely hope you will not have to waste away another half-hour in bed wracking your brains over your situation as the mistress of this house," chuckled her brother.

At this remark, both Chiori and Yuriko had to permit themselves a small giggle (they were giggle-snobs and believed that being so rich would not regularly permit them to such a type of laughter, but for this instance, it was acceptable under the consideration that nearly all those present held immediate family ties).

Yuriko glanced across the room at her brother's friend Ren Darcy, who had thus far remained absolutely silent during their conversation. While the three Bingley siblings had been absorbed in their discussion, he had been engaged in writing a letter to his own sibling. At his young sister Maria's stern request, Ren had been faithfully recounting every detail of the fifty-mile journey to Meryton from his home at Pemberly. He was fulfilling the demand that not only he give account of all the happenings from his departure to his arrival in Hertfordshire, but as well as his state of health and being at the time of his arrival and that of the other four he was with. Now these stipulations may have been too excessive to many people, but Ren felt there wasn't another woman in the world he would hold in higher regard than Maria, and therefore gladly executed his only sister's wishes.

After seventeen pages of accurate descriptions of his journey, Ren began to wrap up his letter, telling Maria that he and the others had arrived safely and in good health, and that he hoped his letter would also find her well. As was his custom as the elder brother, he advised that she continue in the practice of diligently applying herself to her studies in music and martial arts.

Noticing the object of her sister's gaze, Chriori now felt that Ren ought to be brought into their conversation.

"Ren, will you be gracing our small party with the honor of your presence?" she asked.

Ren paused for a moment, allowing himself to finish the last line of his letter to Maria.

"I know that your brother will use every method apart from begging to induce me to come," he answered.

"Oh, but you will enjoy yourself," Yukihito coaxed.

"You know I almost never do. Still I will spare you the vexation of urging me, and simply rest my head on the chopping block now: Yes, I will accompany you all and be attending the ball this Friday."

Yukihito simply smiled and shook his head at Ren. _Ren you are a bore, and a surly one at that sometimes. You will be a bore until the end of your days and then you will be a bore in your next life as well_, he thought.

Though he loved Ren with as much brotherly affection as such a close friendship could provide, he really couldn't wonder at the reasons why those people outside their friendship marveled at their closeness. Yukihito had an animated demeanor and was very open, he loved to talk and go through all the motions of social life. Ren was the opposite; he was always more reserved and observant, and would be most content if his presence was not even acknowledged. Now while those varying qualities of spirit and liveliness did not totally eclipse any possibility of a close friendship between the two, in the eyes of their acquaintance, it did seem to condemn them to being labeled an odd pairing. Who could imagine such a care-free, sparkling Yukihito Bingley regularly being in cahoots with that serious Ren Darcy?

"Come now Ren, a very small amount of time spent in such social activity could hardly be detrimental to such a young, healthy man as yourself; frankly I've never your aversion to these events," said Yuriko consolingly.

They might not understand, but Ren certainly had several reasons why he didn't like balls—he ticked them off in his head.

They were tiresome.

They were monotonous.

They were tedious.

He didn't like dancing.

He hated the women who threw "subtly" themselves at him, those women who already had a profile on him, knowing exactly how much he was worth per annum; the ones who made his acquaintance for the sole purpose of starting the process to become THE Mrs. Darcy of THE Pemberly Estate—in essence, every woman he had ever danced a reel, jig, or quadrille with.

Ren decided to obliterate any redundancy in his statement by uniting the first three complaints into one, then following it up with the last two.

"You all know that I have no real fondness for dances in general, they are so repetitive: you dance one dance, you've danced them all. After the thirty-second ball, you discover that the same dull inquiries are made, the same stories repeated, gossip circulates without end of the same types of "shocking" deeds. There is nothing new, and those who pretend that there is, have bought into the farce that is so-called polite, societal behavior. And though I have no taste for balls in general, it's the vulturous women that attend who are the most unsettling."

"I'm so glad that you feel like you can reveal the most genuine of feelings among us; don't hold back," joked Yukihito.

"Heaven help us!" exclaimed Chiori, "He's worse off than I had previously imagined!"

"I cannot bring myself to believe that all your female acquaintance would more concerned with your financial status than your physical figure—you have a lovely face," said Yuriko in an attempt to be comforting, but not helping at all.

"Yes, my dear, you do have _such_ a lovely face. I don't think anyone doubts that. But is a man no more than his face?" joked Yukihito, winking at his best friend.

"Of course, Yuki! Ren, I only meant that some of the ladies must be drawn to Ren by his person rather than his purse. And I must clarify that statement: not being otherwise acquainted with Ren, they are probably unaware of the fact that he earns at least £10,000 a year, and therefore have nothing to be drawn by but his manly appearance. How can they be judged for that?" explained Yuriko.

"You would be right, except Ren is not manly," said Yukihito jovially.

Ren shot an evil smirk at him. One good turn deserves another, and Yukihito's overly-large mouth was bound to get him in a fix sooner or later, and Ren would be there to gladly reap the joy of his friend's suffering. Yukihito got the message from the other end of the room and continued more seriously.

"True, they may not be judged for that if the scenario actually existed. But there will never be any such case because everyone must be introduced by one already in acquaintance with the person in question. And anyone with any knowledge about our dear friend would be aware of his wealth, and would be certain to tell any others inquiring of this monstrous fact."

All revenge plans forgotten, Ren felt a wave of dread bind him as Yukihito explained the ever-recurring sufferings he had endured for so long. Unlike his friend who made £5,000 a year, and could retire to the country for some peace and solitude when he wanted, there was no respite for Ren. There was no solace for him—not even in the country. Ren was so tired of the ambitious people who were always trying to accost him some way or other; if he could be poor(er) and lead a simpler life, he would. Nobody knew who the real Ren Darcy was, they only knew that name as a kind of title that denoted how much money he made, and £10,000 was a mound of money; and that was all anybody ever cared for.

"Well, I suppose I must admit defeat and thank the Lord above that we are not as rich as our dear Ren," sighed Yuriko.

"Yes, you must do both," smiled Ren wryly.

"Is that laze-about husband of yours still asleep?" asked Chiori, feeling the need to change the subject.

"At least I have a husband for you to insult," answered Yuriko with a twinkle in her eye.

"So, he is still 'a-bed', then?"

"Yes, he is. How that man can contrive to sleep so much is beyond me. I wonder that he stayed awake long enough for us to be married!"

"Well, shall we go for a walk, then?"

"Yes, dear sister, why ever not?"

"Because it rained yesterday morning, and the ground is still wet, your hems may get dirty," interrupted Yukihito practically.

"I'm sure it will be fine," said Chiori.

"It has been over twenty and four hours since, Yuki," added Yuriko.

"Fine I will follow you two, and we shall see who is correct and who is complaining. Ren will come too."

Unsure of how he was thrown into the equation, but not unwilling, Ren silently acquiesced, following Yukihito's gesture that signaled him and the Bingley sisters through the drawing-room door.

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thanks so much for the reviews and concern for my health (shout out to none sorry)! they were really appreciated. i thought i had gotten the better of my cold, but alas! I'M STILL SICK. but whatever, i hope you enjoyed this chapter! by the way, if you were disappointed about about there being a lack of Bennet girls in this chapter, i've already started on the next, and the Bennets are definitely in it, so never fear! alright, i'm going to go gargle now, please leave a review if you feel so inclined-don't hold back!

keep your eyes peeled, i,

Amtheoneuwant


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers" I do not own _Skip Beat!_ or _Pride and Prejudice. _The name Teru is borrowed from _Dengeki Daisy_ and Anise is borrowed from _Barajou No Kiss._

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Chapter 3: Rescue

Kyoko, Teru, Momose, and Anise Bennet rushed into Meryton's finest (and sole) millinery, trying to avoid the ferocious gust of wind that threatened to blow them off the street.

"I suppose I should've worn my overcoat after all, it's a bit chilly," said Momose rubbing her shawl-clad shoulders.

Before any of her sisters had a chance to remark, they were greeted by the store's proprietor, a Mrs. Dixon, a kindly, be-spectacled, middle-aged woman who enjoyed weekly gossip in her spare time.

"Hello, my dears! Good to see you all today…but where is Miss Bennet?" she asked.

"Oh, she decided to stay home," answered Teru.

"She is well, I hope?" asked Mrs. Dixon, somewhat concerned. It was too easy to catch a cold in these undecided spring days. One day could be warm, and the very next one might see frost on the ground. And once a body is ill, there's no telling whether it could lead to disaster.

"I assure you, Kanae is quite well," smiled Kyoko, trying to relieve the good lady's fears.

Mrs. Dixon looked appeased and began to carry on with business.

"Well, I am glad to hear it. We can't have any of you young ladies falling ill. It would be particularly badly-timed to do so. The assembly ball is just three days away. Do you know that Mr. Bingley will also be likely to attend? I have not yet received official word of it, but I believe so. It is only proper, you see. I also heard he's got a friend with him, single, and very wealthy. Now what can I get you four ladies that would attract such men?" asked the saleswoman, ending her rant and peering over her glasses.

"We're just here for ribbon today, Mrs. Dixon," said Anise.

"Oh, really—are you not in need of any material for a new dress? We've just got in some fresh new textures to match this wonderful, airy spring season—all kinds of patterned cotton, crepes, silks, linens, taffetas, voiles, flannels…" challenged the lady, reeling off all the names of the popular fabrics for the current season.

"No, you shan't tempt us today, madam," giggled Anise.

"Really, even if we could afford so much material, we still would not have enough time to have a dress made up for this coming ball," stated Teru logically.

"True, so we'll only be needing ribbon for ourselves today. We must just cope with our old gowns and make do," said Anise while shooting a wink at Mrs. Dixon.

Mrs. Dixon was a good saleswoman, but she knew she had been defeated for the day and thus gave up her gentle assault to persuade the girls.

"Indeed, I see I won't be selling any heavy materials to you today, but may I suggest you take a look at our fine selection of pink ribbon in the corner over there?"

"Why pink?" asked Kyoko, thumbing over a small sample of turquoise colored velvet that she believed that would be absolutely perfect to make into a dress for a doll she was making.

"What, have you girls not yet heard? I would have thought you father would have told you, but never mind that. Those on the assembly committee have decided that every other ball held should have a theme. They decided to begin this new arrangement starting at this upcoming ball and the theme is to be Family Color Night. At the last assembly meeting, each of the regularly attending families were required to randomly choose a color from the raffle, your father pulled pink, and so pink is your family color. You are all required to wear something pink at the next dance," explained Mrs. Dixon.

Each of the girls looked at each other frozen in surprise. Once they had processed the information, their expressions began to distinctly manifest their feelings on the matter at hand: Kyoko was horrified and looked it—she could only imagine the uproar Kanae would be in upon hearing this news; Teru looked rather hopeful, pink didn't seem to be a very traumatizing dilemma to her, even if the whole family did have to wear it; Momose looked aghast—what an embarrassment to have to match not only one's sisters but the father and mother as well, who would think of such an abominable idea and actually enforce it? How could their conscience permit such a stupid notion? And, on the whole, Anise looked delighted—it was somewhat of a drawback that she would have to coordinate with the family, but it wouldn't be as though they had to wear the same exact dress or even the same shade of pink. Pink was her favorite color and she looked good in it; she knew she was sure to be adored by many young men, and that was sufficient for her.

Recovering herself, Kyoko moved toward the shelf in the far corner of the room. With her movement, the rest of the girls seemed to rouse themselves from their thoughts.

"Well, pink it is!" exclaimed Anise cheerily, following her older sister toward the shelf.

Teru also made to follow the other two girls, but Momose did not move from where she stood.

"Are you not going to get ribbon after all?" prompted Mrs. Dixon, eyeing Momose carefully.

"Come, my dear Momose, 'tis but a small trial that we will face in the storm that is life," said Anise pseudo-sagely.

Momose scraped her feet across the shop's wooden floor as she walked toward her sisters who were intensely inspecting the limited selection of pink ribbon spools the shelf had to offer. Mrs. Dixon stared at the girl pointedly until she corrected her stride.

"Momose," began Kyoko on seeing her sister's pouting face, "everything will be fine. There's no need to be so upset. Come, there's plenty of ribbon to choose from—velveteen, satin, grosgrain—whatever you like." Kyoko grabbed Momose's hand and dragged her to the corner where the ribbon was.

Momose closed her eyes and randomly selected a spool. When she opened them again, she found that she'd come upon some ribbon that had a pink background, but beautiful, tiny, blue flowers were the design that dominated the foreground. Seeing this, she was wholly pleased with her haphazardly fated choice, but did not want to seem so. She shrugged at the ribbon as if to indicate that she did not so much either way what sort of ribbon she had gotten, turned on her heel, and strode back across the room to the counter where Mrs. Dixon stood.

Kyoko chose a spool of light-pink velveteen ribbon and also brought it to where her sister and the clerk stood.

"Anise and Teru are always so long in choosing," said Momose, somewhat annoyed.

"We can still have our ribbon cut now, how much will you need?" asked Kyoko.

"I have a mind to keep the whole spool," answered Momose a little bashfully.

"I knew you would like that ribbon, which is why _I _placed it directly in front of your hand. I suppose your eyes really were closed then," said Kyoko mischievously.

Momose smiled at her sister. Kyoko always knew how to set everything right.

"So, my dears…how shall I cut your ribbon today?" asked Mrs. Dixon.

"I think Momose will have the whole spool today, and I will have just a yard of this pretty pink velveteen."

"Indeed, you Bennet girls do have taste," stated Mrs. Dixon fondly while cutting Kyoko's ribbon. "It will be nice to see you two in these at the dance, I daresay it will look pretty with whatever dress you'll choose."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dixon," responded Kyoko and Momose in tandem.

"Now, what are Teru and Anise at? I never thought it took them so long to choose fabric before," said Mrs. Dixon, her eyes scanning across the room.

Teru and Anise were no longer paying any attention to any sort of ribbon. Both were plastered to the front window, watching the parade of militia men come into town.

"There he is! There he is!" exclaimed Anise while waving her arms wildly in her excitement.

"Who?" echoed Teru, Kyoko, Momose, and Mrs. Dixon consecutively after each other.

"Sho Wickham! Who else?"

At hearing this, Kyoko blanched, and then met her sister at the front window. She had not seen Sho in two years, not since he had proposed to her and then left her for one of her then close companions. Not only did he ruin their intimacy, he had caused her the painful loss of a friend. She had been very close friends with Sho since she was a small girl, and he had also been close to the Bennet family for years and was a favorite guest of both her father and mother. After secretly becoming engaged and then jilting Kyoko, he sent word by letter to their family that he would be joining the British military. The family was very upset to hear this, not understanding why he would enlist so suddenly. Kyoko never told them about the event that had broken her heart, and no one had ever suspected the two of ever being romantically involved; Sho left and left behind several upset people in that family, not the least of which who was Kyoko.

Kyoko saw him in the street, looking proud and tall and handsome marching with his regimen, but she could not see him as the others surrounding her did. While the others were in raptures at the very sight of his person, Kyoko felt sick. She felt sick, and then she was seeing red. Oh, how she wanted to hit that proud, heartless, good-for-nothing; how dare he prance around without a care in the world!

Suddenly, the orderly procession turned into nothing but havoc and chaos; Sho seemed to be inhibited by some unseen force of gravity that was viciously pulling him toward the earth. Another invisible power seemed to be kicking him—he was clutching at his sides as though he were in undeniable pain, yet there was nothing that the eye could detect. Not expecting Sho to stop short, the rest of the company came to a halt in a most disorderly fashion. Frankly, it was rather alarming and embarrassing to see such men of war falling and stumbling over one another in such a manner. Such a pile of legs and arms was never seen before or since that dreadful event and the spectacle was the talk of the town for several months.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Mrs. Dixon upon seeing Sho's face in the dirt and him writhing in pain at the invisible blows he was receiving.

"Oh, Sho!" cried Momose and Anise simultaneously.

Teru looked horrified at the whole scene that was unfolding before her eyes and said nothing.

Kyoko sighed. She thought that she would have better control over her grudges by now, it had been two years. She looked down at the ribbon she held in her hand. "Mrs. Dixon, shouldn't we be paying you for this ribbon?" she asked. She was ready to be on her way home.

"Oh…yes," Mrs. Dixon straightened her glasses, taking a moment to recollect the thoughts she had prior to all the nonsense that she had just witnessed, and returned to the counter.

"Here is my spool," said Anise mechanically. "We must see whether he is alright." With that she handed Kyoko the ribbon she had and grabbed Momose's hand and ran out of the store and across the street to ascertain Sho's present physical condition.

"I suppose it's you and I left now," said Kyoko to Teru, blowing a loose strand of hair from her face. Teru smiled awkwardly at her older sister and followed her over to the counter.

"They did not say how much ribbon they wanted. I suppose you can cut off two yards for them since they cannot want more than that," said Kyoko speculatively.

Mrs. Dixon did accordingly.

"How much ribbon would you like, dear?" asked the lady, glancing over her glass-rims, addressing Teru.

"Only just a bit for my hair," said Teru quietly.

"Such a sweet girl; here I'll give you the whole yard at the cost of six inches if you really like it," said Mrs. Dixon smiling at the timid girl.

"I really like it," said Teru smiling back.

Mrs. Dixon cut off a yard of the ribbon.

"Your bill will be seven shillings, three pence," she announced.

Kyoko already had the money waiting and handed it over.

"Are we in a rush today, dear?" asked Mrs. Dixon eyeing Kyoko rather piercingly.

"I've just noticed that it looks like it will rain soon. We've got three miles to walk home; the carriage is being fixed today," said Kyoko. Although what she said was true, she really was eager to get home and control the anger she felt at seeing Sho, and most of all, she wanted to keep her sisters away from the louse.

"Well, it does look like rain. The weather does change so quickly during these days. Now, I've parceled all of your ribbon, go collect your sisters and be off. Travel well; I shall see you at the ball Friday!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Dixon, you are so kind," said Kyoko graciously.

"Thank you," said Teru simply.

"If you must give thanks, do so while you walk," said Mrs. Dixon, With that, she herded the two girls out of her shop and shut the door on them.

Teru looked at Kyoko. Kyoko just rolled her eyes and smiled at her sister.

That smile was wiped off seconds later when she saw Sho being supported by Anise and Momose. For his part, he did look rather beaten (Kyoko felt rather smug about that), but for her sisters to make such a display of themselves was more than she could bear. She could not bring herself to approach the cluster for fear that she would injure her sisters with her grudges, so she sent Teru to tell them that they would be going now. Teru went across the street to deliver the message and then retraced her steps to tell Kyoko that Anise and Momose were going to take Sho to the hotel and return shortly thereafter. Kyoko was exasperated with her siblings, but decided to let them have their way. After a wait of several minutes (Sho was the kind of young man who felt that he needed to be closely tended to in these kind of delicate situations, and had kept the girls longer than they ought to have been kept for his own peace of mind's sake), Anise and Momose returned and the girls started on their way home.

* * *

"He has gotten so handsome! I've never seen a prettier face that was at once so delicate and yet filled with such masculinity, I am in raptures!" exclaimed Momose.

"Every young man should practice trying to have a face like his," said Anise solemnly.

Hearing this silly utterance, Teru giggled.

"Well, it's all that would be in their power to do anyway. There's not a soul in the world as handsome as he," said Anise in earnest.

"We need to walk faster," said Kyoko irritably. All this talk of Sho was quite irksome to her. Anise and Momose were practically throwing rainbows against the rain-filled clouds that hung overhead in the state of happiness they currently in. They were overjoyed that not only had they seen such an old family friend, but that he had grown exceedingly handsome and that they had been able to heroically assist him in his time of need. Not only that, he had told them that he would also be attending the ball and would dance two dances with each of them. _How dare he?_ Kyoko thought. _How dare he even show his face to my family, knowing what he's done, but not only that, how could he go so far as to propose to_ dance _with my sisters. Has he any shame at all?_

"Who made you Kanae the Second?" asked Anise, annoyed that Kyoko was not asking enough questions about Sho. She had only coldly asked whether he was alright. She didn't ask what the cause of his sudden attack was, or whether he had even asked after her. Anise was somewhat short-sighted and narrow-minded at times and could only come up with one conclusion for her sister's actions or lack thereof—she was jealous.

"Really," she continued, "there's no need to be jealous, and if you are it's your own fault. You could've come and seen him for yourself. There was no need to spend so much time at the millinery."

"There was if you wanted any ribbon," stated Kyoko through her teeth. If Anise did not shut her mouth soon, she herself would be on the receiving end of some invisible attack from one of Kyoko's grudges.

They were a mile from home when the clouds finally let forth the deluge it had been holding for the past couple of hours. Kyoko could just cry; could this day possibly become anymore miserable?

The girls ran for cover under a local tree (this is a very stupid thing to do, but they were very desperate and quite soaked). "What will we do?" cried Teru, who was wringing her hands.

"Let's just wait here for a moment and see if the heavy rain lets up; if it does, we can brave the rest of this torrent; if it doesn't—we must brave the rest of this torrent.

The rain did not let up. Not in five minutes, ten, or even after a quarter of an hour. Finally, feeling that they could wait no longer, Kyoko led the group out from under the tree. Absolutely waterlogged, but fiercely determined to get herself and her sisters home, Kyoko trudged along the sopping country road. They had gone a quarter of a mile when they were obliged to step aside quickly at the approach of a large, expensive-looking coach. At the sight of four, hopelessly wet young girls, Yukihito Bingley felt it his duty to stop his journey back from business in town. He signaled the driver to a halt, and himself got out from the coach's interior and ushered the girls in.

Once they were all got in the carriage, the girls expressed their deepest thanks at being rescued and asked to know who their rescuer was.

"My name is Yukihito Bingley," the handsome, blonde-haired young man stated.

As if on cue, four sets of mouths dropped in unison.

* * *

alrighty, a big thanks to all the reviews! i love them all, but i am extremely excited i got kudos from leavesfallingup, since their stories are the ones i randomly happened upon about a year ago and got me started on all of this. all of your reviews really mean a lot to me, especially when last week was so very, very horrid; it's like when you get a cold it really sticks to you these days! anyway, i'm really sorry for posting late; it really is my goal to post once a week, for both your sake and my own-after all this is going to be a long story! i want to call attention to the chapter name-originally this was supposed to be a second part to chapter two, but my creative energies took a different direction and so this is simply chapter three. i hope you all like the mini cliffhanger (it's my first one ^.^), i threw in at the end. i can't wait for what will happen next! anyway, i will stop ranting and start on my next chapter! thanks for reading!

-Amtheoneuwant


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own neithe_r Pride and Prejudice_ or _Skip Beat!_ Also the names Teru and Anise are borrowed from _Dengeki Daisy_ and _Barajou No Kiss_ respectively.

* * *

Chapter Four: Nice to Meet You?

Although the action was considered quite obtuse in polite society, Kyoko found herself staring at the man who had just delivered her from the pouring rain that now beat noisily beat upon the carriage's exterior.

Hearing no reply of any sort after his own introduction, Yukihito kindly prompted the girls to reveal their identity and place of dwelling. Realizing her rudeness, Kyoko collected herself and extended a hand toward the man, seeing as she was presently packed like a sardine (and sitting inside a carriage in the first place) it would be impossible for her to curtsy.

"Sir, forgive me," she began, "I am Kyoko Bennet and these are my younger sisters, Teru, Anise, and Momose," nodding in the direction to where her sisters were sitting.

"I know this situation is very untoward, but it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Yukihito graciously.

All this while, the younger sisters had been rendered thoroughly silent, and at the man's compliment could only nod in agreement to indicate their mutual feelings on this point—except for Anise who was the boldest and also gave a smile.

"I feel I cannot thank you enough for your kindness to myself and my sisters; I am very sorry to have inconvenienced you," apologized Kyoko humbly, having become the spokeswoman of her sisters.

"Madam, I pulled over for you; you did not solicit me in any form or fashion. If there was any inconvenience—and there is none—I would have only myself to blame."

Feeling that no more apologetic speeches ought to be made on the subject, although she felt absolutely wretched about the predicament she was in, Kyoko realized that she must tell Mr. Bingley where she lived in order to get to that place.

"We live at Longbourn, perhaps you've heard of it?" she asked.

Yukihito smiled at her and answered, "Indeed, not only have I heard, I know exactly where it is! I passed it only three days ago while surveying the surrounding area of my property. We are rather close neighbors after all," he said heartily. "Now, half a minute, I must direct the driver on the way to your home." He knocked on the coach's ceiling signaling the driver to halt.

Kyoko looked out of the window she sat beside and noticed the rain was falling at a gentler speed than it had done previously. She considered trying to decline the rest of Mr. Bingley's kind attentions but felt that it would do more harm than it would help. She could imagine him being offended by her actions and instinctively knew that her sisters would not appreciate her notion of having them walk a muddy path home. Kyoko put the thought of any such attempts out of her head.

The driver opened the door to the coach; He looked as frumpled as the four girls inside, having had to drive the party through the peak of the inclement weather. Yukihito gave his instructions to the driver; the door was shut, and shortly thereafter the ride resumed.

"How have you liked living in Meryton so far?" asked Kyoko, feeling the necessity of making polite conversation.

"Indeed, I-, I…like it well so far." Although Yukihito was normally very fluent in his native tongue of English, there happened to be a phenomenon occurring at that very moment and it was quite distracting to him. Actually, it was not anything particularly unusual that had happened, only that the sky had lightened enough at the time so that the color of Kyoko's eyes could actually be clearly seen. And though her eyes were lovely (how could such a pair of rare golden eyes _not _be striking?) Yukihito was unsettled because they were alarmingly familiar.

Being the observant people they were, both Kyoko and Teru noticed the change in Mr. Bingley's behavior and were somewhat troubled by it. Momose and Anise did not detect any difference and so were wholly unaffected by it. Momose was busy playing at the clasp of the small purse that she held in her lap, fancying herself in love with Mr. Bingley—though she couldn't bring herself to look him full in the face—and Anise was working up the courage to ask the following question:

"Will you be attending the upcoming assembly ball?" she asked, red-faced.

_Good Lord, _thought Kyoko irritably, _when will this ride be over? What a nuisance—if not for this rain we could've been home by now. _

Yukihito glanced at Kyoko, feeling a very negative aura radiating from her side of the coach. "Yes. My sisters Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley as well as my friend Mr. Darcy will also be attending," he answered concisely.

Anise, always the flirt, smiled a smile that was at once coy and suggestive, "It will be nice to see all of you there," she said sweetly.

Yukihito nodded in response and looked over at Kyoko again.

_Why does he keep staring at me?_ Kyoko thought. Then she realized it must be her eyes; people often had a hard time getting over them when they first met her. Coming to this conclusion, she was a little less unsettled about Mr. Bingley's frequent peeks at her.

_This cannot be the same child, that child died a long time ago!_ thought Yukihito in disbelief. Although it had been many years, Yukihito remembered meeting an infant with a pair of eyes very similar to the young lady's he now sat across from. She had been eight months old at the time and was the second cousin of his good friend Mr. Darcy. He remembered this distinctly because the young girl had been blatantly displayed and paraded about because of her eye color. Shortly thereafter he had heard his mother gossiping amongst some of her friends saying that the young family of Mogami had suffered a tragic loss; that the father and the pretty golden-eyed baby had both died from illness. He remembered his mother being rather affected by the ordeal, saying that it was a scandal for all that money to be left to the mother who had, after all, married into the family.

Kyoko waved a hand in Mr. Bingley's face. "Is he in a trance?" she asked her sisters, for Mr. Bingley had been lost in thought for about a minute and a half now and couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Kyoko.

"Mr. Bingley?" asked Kyoko, looking very concerned.

No response.

"Sir?"

Nada.

"Sir?" still nothing. Remembering what her mother did when her father got "stuck" in his musings, Kyoko handed the items she held in her lap to Teru who sat next to her, took off her shawl, undid the buttons to her dress sleeves, and rolled her sleeves up. Just when she had reeled her fist back, clearly aiming to punch Mr. Bingley in the gut, he came to himself.

"Good God! What were you going to do me ma'am!" he exclaimed, noting the angle of Kyoko's fist in proximity to his stomach.

Kyoko turned an unbecoming shade of red, completely embarrassed at herself. Suddenly, the coach gave a huge lurch that uncannily threw Momose diagonally across the width of the vehicle so that she landed in Yukihito's lap. Yukihito looked down at her and was horrified to find the young girl staring up at him with stars in her eyes. He quickly shifted to the other end of the seat and pushed her off of his lap onto the remainder of the seat—at this time the Kyoko, Anise, and Teru were on the floor of the coach.

Once again, the coach's door flew open to reveal the driver of the carriage who looked worse than ever. His wig was wet and had somehow gotten muddy and was now hanging halfway off his head. His breeches were clean, but his stocking were no longer stuck neatly inside them; they were now flopping freely at his ankles and were thickly covered with mud. He looked absolutely miserable.

"Sir, I apologize for the abrupt stop," he said sorrowfully.

"It's fine, Mr. Sawara. How far are we from Longbourn?" answered Yukihito somewhat peeved.

"We are nearly there!" said Anise waving her free arm from under the legs of her sisters.

Mr. Sawara looked at the mess inside the carriage and immediately felt himself at ease. What a story he would have to tell his wife when he next visited! He looked at the floor of the coach and saw three girls strewn about. One had her foot stuck in the other's armpit, another had her leg unceremoniously draped across the other's back and still another was buried under the first two girls. But before he could laugh freely, there was still a problem that had to be addressed.

"Sir," began Sawara hesitantly.

"Yes, Mr. Sawara?" prompted Yukihito.

"The coach seems to be stuck in a large pot-hole."

Yukihito sighed heavily. By this time, the girls had gotten themselves into respectable sitting positions and Kyoko, seeing the chance of redeeming the situation at least in some small amount had an idea.

"Since we are not far from my home, we can walk the rest of the way and bring help for you," offered Kyoko.

Not giving Yukihito a chance to reply, she hopped out of the carriage and hinted that her sisters do the same.

"It seems that we have no other choice," said Yukihito on seeing all four girls standing ankle-deep in mud.

"It's getting late, we had better be off," said Kyoko cheerily, happy to be on the road to happier (and less embarrassing) circumstances. Once she got home, she could wash up and change her dress and ride back on horseback to see to it that Mr. Bingley and his driver were taken care of.

"We'll be back soon, do not worry!" called Anise as she sprinted off in front of her sisters, clearly wanting to show her athleticism to distinguish herself from the rest.

"We'll be back within half an hour," said Kyoko, trying to alleviate some of the stress that was showing on Mr. Bingley's face.

"Thank you, Miss Bennet," he said wearily.

* * *

Kyoko, Teru and Momose set off at a quick pace in order to catch up to Anise. Once they caught up to her and had gotten far enough down the path so that Mr. Bingley couldn't see them commit yet another embarrassing act, Kyoko suggested that they cut through a field so that they could get back home faster. This idea all agreed upon, the girls ran into the heather-filled field and got home quickly, arriving at the garden on the back-end of the house where Kanae was sitting on a rock, reading a book.

Kanae looked up from the book she was reading to see four girls—each clad in heavily soiled dresses, wet bonnets, and ripped stockings.

"Mo! What happened to you?" she exclaimed, torn between laughing at the absurd appearance of her sisters, and concern for what had made them look that way.

"Long story," answered Momose in a foul mood. She had been that way ever since Yukihito had unlovingly pushed her off his lap.

"Mr. Bingley is stuck on the road," said Teru, anxious to get the man aid after the service he had done them, "we said we would send someone to help."

"Fisher is out and so is Jenkins, we have no other male servants," replied Kanae.

"We'll have to ask father," said Kyoko, catching her breath.

"Ask father what?" boomed Lory from a third story window.

Each of the girls cringed at their father's unlooked-for intrusion in their conversation.

"How does he do that?" whispered Anise somewhat awe-struck.

Kanae frowned and looked up at her father, who was flamboyantly hanging out of the window that belonged to one of the unused rooms inside the house. "Father, would you be willing to perform a good deed today?" she asked.

"No, my dear, I should say not. All my deeds I commit here. Go and rescue Mr. Bingley yourself—you shall be the princess in shining armor; it will be romance of the modern type."

With that he bestowed a wink at his girls, laughed, ducked inside and shut the window.

"Well, I don't care what you do, I'M GOING INSIDE!" yelled Momose, nearly beside herself with frustration, stalking inside the house.

Anxious to get out of their wet things, Teru and Anise followed their sister inside.

Kyoko turned to Kanae, rubbed her forehead and sighed.

Kanae silently stood up and walked over to a pile of wood in the corner of the garden and picked out two sturdy wood planks. She walked back over where Kyoko stood and handed her one of them.

"Shall we armored princesses sally forth?" she asked, smiling at Kyoko.

"Thank you," answered Kyoko, beaming at her sister; she had not expected Kanae to be so willing to help, "We will have to hurry, I wanted to return within half an hour. We only have ten minutes to spare!"

Kyoko ran off through the field with wild abandon, she had nothing to lose as she was already rather filthy and her dress frayed at the hemline.

Kanae ran through the field as well, but somehow had developed the skill of doing it so gracefully that she would neither injure herself or her clothing. So when she arrived on the muddy country road, she was wholly untouched by the brambles and bushes and looking quite elegant.

Kyoko and Kanae walked back down the road to where Yukihito and his driver were waiting. The sun was setting, and had sunk rather low opposite the two girls, illuminating their faces in a molten, blazing gold. When Yukihito first saw the two girls approaching, he was surprised; he had not foreseen those of the fairer and more delicate sex coming to his aid. Once he had seen Kanae, he was turned into a complete mute—she was absolutely stunning with her ebony hair and dark brown eyes. The light pink dress she had on seemed an ill-fitting match for the fiery girl who wore it, but she looked breathtaking nonetheless. Yukihito could not take his eyes off of her—this made the entirety of this bizarre day fully worth his trouble.

Kyoko introduced Mr. Bingley to Kanae and Kanae to Mr. Bingley. Not much was said on either side; Kanae was naturally taciturn and Yukihito was still in awe over the beautiful Miss Bennet.

Kanae set to work immediately; they were losing daylight quickly and she wanted to set the rich young gentlemen on his way quickly. Yukihito would have offered to pry his own coach out of the hole, but again, he was still shell-shocked over the bomb-shell, so he was rather useless.

Sawara noticed the impropriety of his master's conduct and told Kanae that it was his responsibility to take care of his master and his troubles. Kanae handed him the plank and he set it under the wheel and attempted to use leverage to pull the coach out, but it didn't move. He gave several attempts, but still the coach stayed stuck in the hole.

"Sir, let me try," said Kanae, who was somewhat put out. She was a very healthy girl and was sure she would have no trouble getting these gentlemen out of this fix—after all, she could plow a field with two oxen on a harness, cut and lift beef, and birth a calf (there were very few women in her class who could say they were that accomplished) all on her own.

By this point, Yukihito had finally come to his senses.

"Madam," said he gallantly, "that is entirely unnecessary. I can take care of this," he gestured, pointing to the carriage.

Kanae sighed and watched Mr. Bingley assume the same position Sawara had formerly been in.

For ten minutes Yukihito tried to get the carriage to budge, and a few tries proved him to be moving in the right direction, but in the end, the coach stayed snug inside the crater.

Kyoko noticed that her sister was running out of patience and tried to save the two men the trouble of experiencing her wrath. "Sir," she said to Yukihito who was now foolishly pushing up against the side of the carriage, "I think you might let my sister try to assist you."

Yukihito sighed, how was he supposed to prove his manhood if he had to have a young lady come and rescue him—especially one he found entirely captivating—pull his coach out of the mud? However, the hour was growing later and darker, and refusing might only waste the last few minutes of valuable daylight they had left. He moved out of the way and let Kanae crouch down where he had been.

Kanae looked both Yukihito and Sawara in the eye shamelessly. In one effortless, smooth shove, she heaved the coach onto firmer ground. She pulled the plank up from under the wheel and smiled smugly at the two men who were now gaping at her.

Kyoko felt that now would be an opportune time to be heading home. She knew exactly how much Kanae loathed men who were useless.

"Mr. Bingley, I really can neither thank you enough for rescuing me and my sisters or apologize enough for the predicament your rescuing us has put you in," she said warmly.

"It is no trouble at all. I feel thanks should be returned for you and your sister rescuing us," Yukihito said glancing at Kanae who was looking at him with disdain. "Thank you," he finished, turning back to Kyoko.

"Will you still attend the ball?" asked Kyoko.

"I see no reason why not, unless the rain has made me sick, but I think not!" he said mirthfully as he climbed into the coach. No, nothing short of death would stop him from attending a dance.

Kyoko and Kanae both curtseyed as they watched Mr. Bingley climb inside the coach and the driver mount his station and turn the carriage around.

And so, each party went their respective way, with their respective thoughts.

* * *

Kyoko and Kanae walked back through the bracken slowly since it was rather dark and late in the evening.

"Well?" began Kyoko.

"Well, what?" answered Kanae.

"You know _what_"

"You sound like our mother!" laughed Kanae.

Kyoko did not find that particularly complimentary and punched her sister in the arm to let her know.

"Stop trying to delay my question, dear. What did you think of Mr. Bingley…other than that he is incapable of rescuing himself from a ditch," said Kyoko playfully.

"Well, he _is_ handsome. Don't tell the girls I said that. I would never hear the end of it," answered Kanae fiercely.

"Fine," laughed Kyoko freely, just happy to be with her favorite sister, "your secret will be kept by me until the end of my days."

"I may look forward to this ball after all," said Kanae thoughtfully, so low that Kyoko thought she might have just been hearing her own thoughts. She looked at her sister thoughtfully.

"What?" asked Kanae.

Kyoko decided not to press her luck, "Nothing at all. I'll race you back as soon as we get through the field."

They came to the edge of the field and broke out in a full run. Mr. Sawara could have sworn he heard whoops of laughter and raucous screaming on his way to Netherfield.

* * *

thanks for all the reviews! i hope you like this chapter. for those of you looking forward to Ren Darcy meeting Kyoko Bennet, that will be in the next chapter. since i have Christmas Eve off, i may deliver that little package as a gift to y'all! let me know what you think-good, bad, or ugly!

enjoy the upcoming holiday,

Amtheoneuwant

p.s. it's been suggested that i could use a beta reader, so if you are willing, or if you know someone who could do the job reasonably well, please let me know (:


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or Pride and Prejudice and Teru and Anise are not names I made up-I took them from Dengeki Daisy and Barajou No Kiss, so there.

* * *

Chapter Five: The Ball

It is a rule generally accepted that parents must not seek favorites among their offspring, but there are those who, either unwillingly or by conscious, applied effort, deviate from this plan. Though there be those who deny it with vehemence, ultimately believing and exerting themselves to become the best and most judicious among their set, there are also those who almost flagrantly exercise their particular interest in a certain number of their children.

Lory and Jelly Bennet would be classed in the latter category. Although they loved all five of their girls liberally, each of them had chosen as favorite the child whom they believed possessed the best and greatest combination of the following qualities: intellect, wit, disposition, beauty, and moral fiber. Lory believed that the second oldest of his daughters, Kyoko held all of the traits previously mentioned—she was intelligent, had a good, wholesome sense of humor, patient and gentle, she always wanted to do what was right, and she was as lovely in person as she was in spirit. He secretly believed that Kyoko would be the first of his daughters to marry; after all, what man is his commonsensical mind would be fool enough to pass up such a pearl? Lory believed that his Kyoko would do very well in her future and see to the best of his power that she would do so.

Jelly chose her oldest daughter as her favorite. She believed that Kanae, what with her astounding beauty—those exotic, dark locks, rich chocolate marble eyes, and delicately sensuous pale skin—was a gem among gems; any man could (and had) fall for her instantly. Aside from beauty, her girl was quite studied. Kanae was very well versed in Shelley, Byron, and Keats and had could recite from perfect memory any number of their poems. Kanae could draw with astute accuracy, was very good with mathematics, spoke French and was really quite handy with household and field duties. Yet for all her skills, Kanae was not a welcoming soul, she scared off many possible, well-connected suitors with one cold look. Only the most venturesome would dare to make their presence known to her.

_Ah, but there is still time to work on that aspect, _thought Jelly hopefully as she gazed down at the subject of her musings from the balcony-level of the assembly hall.

"Well, Mrs. Bennet, shall we dance tonight?" spoke a subtly enticing voice.

Jelly dug her teeth into her lower lip as she considered her husband's offer; if she were to stay standing on the upper level where it afforded a commanding view of the hall, she could have a full, open view of all of her children and their social encounters—and it would be most advantageous to be the first aware of when Mr. Bingley and his party had arrived. Though all this was very important to her daughters' future, Jelly sincerely would enjoy a dance with the handsome man who now stood beside her.

"Perhaps…we can have a dance before Mr. Bingley comes," she answered slowly, still trying to decide whether her choice now could have detrimental results later.

Lory swiftly swung his petite-sized wife and swung her up into his arms and rushed toward the staircase, not wanting to give her any more time to debate the matter. Even though Jelly had eccentric leanings, and actually a bit abusive at times, he loved her very much and generally genuinely enjoyed her company. She looked altogether splendid tonight; she always knew just the right thing to wear and how to wear it well. For tonight's event she had donned a relatively simple pale pink dress with a sweetheart neckline and an empire waist that was defined with black lace. She had her rich auburn hair caught up in a black, lightly-pearled hair comb and completed the ensemble with the pearl teardrop-shaped dangly earrings that were tipped with tiny black felt bows. Lory had seen several men of the town shamelessly ogling _his _bride as his family entered the building. He was not certain as to whether he was more proud or angry that they were staring at her (his wife was exceedingly handsome _AND_ she had good teeth still, which was quite an advantage), but he intended to make it clear that he and Jelly were nearly thoroughly enjoying their marital bliss and all its stresses.

"Put me down!" hissed Jelly as Lory reached the bottom of the stairs. Lory set her down at once.

"If you had dropped me—" she began threateningly, smoothing out her dress.

"My memory may escape me, but I don't believe I heard any protest moments ago," Lory interrupted, grinning.

Jelly knew she had lost this short battle. She smiled and gave her husband a small smack on the cheek and grabbed his hand and dragged him toward where the couples were forming for the first dance set.

Kyoko watched as her mother and father took their places from across one another. She noticed how her mother's eyes were pinned on her father's form. It was clear that she was entirely besotted with him and had no eyes for any other.

Kyoko sighed inwardly, thinking that it was almost too bad that she had sworn off love so entirely after_ he_ had jilted her, _Maybe it would be nice to admire someone—what am I at?_ _I_ have _sworn off love and all its vexing predicaments after all, _thought Kyoko admonishingly. _Anyhow, there's not any true possibility of meeting such a person, not these days; if only I had been born a lifetime earlier_…she sighed again.

Taking Kyoko's sighs as an indication of impatience, Anise who was standing in close proximity to her elder sister voiced her own complaints.

"Good lord," she began, "Where is everyone? The ball is to start in less than ten minutes and only half the people who ought to be here have arrived. I do hope Mr. Bingley and his sisters come. I shall be very sorry if he chooses not to appear. Do you think he can remember us?" Anise's prattling was beginning to wear on Kyoko's nerves.

"If he can't hold a thing in his head for two whole days, I would scarcely believe he deserves your remembering him," snorted Kanae saucily while daintily holding a glass of wine in her hand.

"I was not speaking to you," said Anise acidly. "Do you think he will remember us, _Kyoko_?" she asked, deliberately stressing Kyoko's name.

"I think that he will—"

That was all the invitation Anise needed to launch into an oral dissertation of her fantasies. Only days before, she been in raptures over _la beauté au masculine _of Mr. Sho Wickham, however, this did not stop her from exalting the graces of Mr. Bingley _today_.

"Ah, yes! I know he will come. It is lucky I got this shade of ribbon, since it really does compliment the general color of the room, and then I do look particularly well in it…" chattered Anise unceasingly at a nervous pace.

Kyoko began to tune out her vain young sister. Anise was a good girl, but at times like these she was nearly insufferable. There was absolutely no way she would subject herself to this meaningless twitter of a conversation, but she knew that her Anise was far too absorbed in her own thoughts to allow her sister to alert her of her disengagement in the subject at hand. Kyoko covered her mouth to shelter a relatively mild gasp and looked toward the front entrance of the hall and spoke with all the excitement she could collect at the moment and spoke the only two words that could distract her sister.

"He's here!" she exclaimed, looking for all the world as though she might faint at the sight of such a man as Mr. Bingley.

As soon as she heard the words, Anise went into hysterical motions, smoothing her dress and pinching her cheeks alternately at such a furious pace she was attracting the attention of those who stood by.

Kyoko was so convincing, Kanae even looked toward the entrance to see where _the _Mr. Bingley was. She was disappointed to see only the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Leighton come through the door. She turned her head back to Kyoko and raised a brow. Kyoko flashed a small devilish smile and winked at her while she watched Anise beat her dress free of any wrinkles that were currently on the dress as well as any that were to come in the future.

"You had better turn around, before you miss him," suggested Kyoko.

Anise froze immediately upon hearing this advice and stared at her sister in horror and then slowly turned round so she could see the grand front doors of the hall where Mr. Bingley and his sisters…

_I don't see anyone…where are they? I see Mrs. Dixon, Mr. and Mrs. Leighton, the Highwoods, Mr. Lucas…_Anise searched the room with as much thoroughness as was possible from where she was standing, but the much-prized Mr. Bingley was not to be seen.

Anise turned back around, seeing that her perusal had proved fruitless, "Kyoko, I-"

When she had turned around again, she found herself to be quite alone and speaking to no one in particular. Totally irked by her sisters' ill-treatment (surely Kanae must be in on the trick too), she vowed not to speak to them for the remainder of the event…unless something of a moving proportion, for good or ill, developed.

"And I didn't think you had any kind of impatience in you!" laughed Kanae.

"Just now I'm rather sorry to have done it, but another speech…" Kyoko waved her hand and wiggled her fingers as she rolled her eyes to symbolize the draining frivolity of Anise's not un-frequent tangents that were somehow simultaneously self-extolling and praising of one of her many love interests.

"I know," Kanae instantly interpreted her sister's gesture and took a chocolate bon-bon from a nearby table that was laden with favors for those attending.

Kyoko looked at Kanae pointedly.

"Yes, I know exactly what I am at, Kyoko. I'm fairly certain that a single piece of chocolate this evening will not harm my figure."

"I know you; the morning that follows our escapade here tonight you will regret your actions," said Kyoko sagely.

"Is not your friend here?" asked Kanae changing the subject.

"Yes, I believe I saw Shoko with Teru and Momose by the wine. Anise was right—this ball is starting rather late tonight—'tis nearly a quarter after six," answered Kyoko watching several more families and couples gradually advancing through the entrance toward their various friends located at the different venues strategically placed along the perimeter of the festively decorated assembly hall.

Having nothing else to do, and earnestly wanting to avoid those kinds of foods that make dancing painful rather than a pleasurable pastime, Kyoko and Kanae sought out Miss Shoko Lucas and two youngest sisters.

"Ah," smiled Shoko welcomingly at the sight of her two closest friends and neighbors, "you both look lovely this evening. Kanae, it looks almost as though you've gone out of the way to appear even more striking than you already are; what, pray, could be the reason for that? Perhaps some news of a certain Mr. Bingley and his rich friend has been . . . industriously circulated?" suggested Shoko, wiggling her eyebrows and bouncing on her toes.

Teru, Momose, and Kyoko giggled at their friend's silly antics. Shoko was always such great fun, but she was ten times more agreeable at a ball.

Kanae calmly answered, "I have nothing extra-ordinary on, at least not to my own eyes."

"Your dress is very pretty; you don't wear it often, yet you chose to wear it TODAY!" yelled Shoko, animatedly pointing her finger inches from Kanae's nose in accusation. It was clear that Shoko had decidedly too much wine, but this was why she was always ten times more amusing at balls.

"Shoko, dear, you must have noticed after all our years of friendship that I have only a very limited number of pink dresses in my wardrobe. Of the three I own, one is out for mending, the other I wore two days ago; naturally I am left with only this to wear. And were it not for the bland creativity of certain committee members," here Kanae ground her teeth and spat on the ground, _What a dim-witted idea, dressing families in specific colors—what is the purpose of that? Are they numbering us all, has a common town ball become a census?_

Kanae took a moment to compose herself and wipe her visage free of any remaining spittle, then continued, "If not for the Family Color Night, I would not be wearing pink at all."

"Neither would father," ventured Teru quietly.

At this unexpected jibe, all five ladies present were wholly given to a hysterical fit of laughter, not noticing that the room had filled up rather nicely with more guests, and most importantly that Mr. Bingley, his sister, and Mr. Darcy had just joined the queue of people filing in the door.

The girls were still laughing merrily (and rather loudly), when Kyoko felt something rather bony sharply nudge her in the ribcage. She turned to find her mother looking frighteningly determined, but didn't have the liberty of speaking to her mother first.

"Momose, find Anise and meet me by the front entrance in three minutes. We are all to be introduced to Mr. Bingley and his sisters by Sir Lucas in just a moment. Shoko, I did not know your father was already an acquaintance of Mr. Bingley," said Jelly, looking at Shoko shrewdly, calculating the young woman's chances of capturing Mr. Bingley's heart (or at least his eye for the time being). Shoko was a pretty girl with her fair hair, even features, and lean-but-robust figure, and Mrs. Bennet would be really worried about her own daughter's chances if not for the fact that Shoko was still yet an unmarried woman at the age of five and twenty.

Deciding that her children's prospects were more than likely safe from the likes of Miss Lucas, she felt she could now offer Shoko a compliment, "Shoko dear, you look very nice this evening, your father is wanting you now. I will show you to him, he is waiting with Mr. Bingley—girls, do keep up! With that, Jelly led an outwardly disengaged Kanae, an interested Kyoko, an embarrassed Teru, and a tipsy Shoko toward the front of the hall where they waited in a discreet corner for Momose to return with Anise.

"Kanae, fix your hair, and remember to smile…and for heaven's sake, don't slouch down so!" reprimanded Jelly while furiously patting down her first-born.

"My hair is just fine, and if I stood any straighter I would be leaning backward."

"Well, remember to smile then. Try your best not to glare at the Bingleys and their guest; be pleasant or at least believably affect an air of pleasantness—I know you can do this, I've seen you. Kanae, you are an exceedingly handsome girl, but it would be a mistake to rely solely upon your looks to arrest the attention of any man, particularly in the case of Mr. Bingley. Mo—I sent the wrong girl to fetch your sister, those two girls get so distracted when they are together," said Jelly fretfully, while she anxiously looked over the many heads of the now-crowded room, trying to spot her daughters.

"Are there any other items of consequence you feel necessary to impart?" asked Kanae who always viewed her mother's antics in these situations rather amusing.

"Don't sass your mother," answered Jelly distractedly, still looking for her daughters.

At that moment, she spotted Momose and Anise making their way to the crowd to the general area of where she was located. Seeing the searching expressions on their faces, Jelly reached up her arm and waved them over.

"Alright, we are all here together now. Everybody, be on your best behavior, Mr. Bingley may choose any one of my fine daughters tonight to be his bride," said Jelly, beaming over her girls.

"Mother, I think he only came simply to introduce himself tonight and have a dance, he may not have any matrimonial thoughts at present," said Kyoko pointedly.

"No dance is simply just a dance, my dear," responded Mrs. Bennet knowingly. "Alright, let us meet our Mr. Bingley!" cried she excitedly. She pulled her gander of girls forth through the crowd of people and to the refreshment table nearest the front entrance where her husband Lory stood in all his glory (he was clad in a jacket of a light, baby pink, a hot pink dress shirt, and pants of fuschia), talking to Mr. Bingley.

"Ah, here they are," exclaimed Mr. Bennet, genially ushering in his wife and girls. "Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Mr. Darcy—this is my wife, Mrs. Bennet, and my daughters Kanae, Kyoko, Anise, Momose, and Teru. And this is Miss Shoko Lucas, the daughter of Sir Lucas, and our good friend." The girls each curtseyed as their names were pronounced.

"So nice to meet _all_ of you," smiled Yukihito warmly. Chiori and Ren were simply polite according to custom, and curtseyed and bowed in turn.

Chiori smiled and looked over all the girls, who were all rather pretty in their own right, but taking particular interest in Kanae, who was absolutely incredible in a flowing pale pink dress that was intricately embroidered with tiny white scallop seashells on the bodice. She put it in her mind to keep an eye on this girl.

When she looked over at her brother, who was usually very talkative at these affairs, she found that his eyes were watering. She followed his gaze and realized that he was staring at the one girl called Kanae. _He cannot have fallen for her this quickly, _she thought, absolutely horrified; _he has not even seen her until now!_

Since nothing of consequence had yet been imparted to the conversation, Kyoko thought it would be best to introduce a topic.

"How is your carriage, Mr. Bingley? I do hope it did not suffer any injuries from that horrendous hole yesterday," asked Kyoko.

"Oh, no the carriage is well, thank you," answered Yukihito, seeming to rouse himself.

"What's this? Was there trouble with the carriage yesterday?" asked Chiori, all ears.

Yukihito turned a slight shade of red. He had seriously hoped that none of this would come up; he did not want his close relations to know that he had gotten into yet another scrape on the road. It seemed to be his bane in life; whenever he rode alone in a carriage something would go wrong—sometimes a wheel would come loose; there had been times when the horses had become unhitched and had run away entirely from the yoke and left himself and the driver in the middle of the road; and there had been a time when he had been mugged by thugs en route to London. Despite the series of unfortunate events traveling seemed to induce upon him, Yukihito was determined not to be a recluse. He had made a sincere declaration recently to his sisters and friends that travelling was not to be a source of discouragement to him; he told them that these circumstances were only due to fear; that he was no longer afraid of the perils that lay on the road, and thus should be fine when in transit. All this rot was patronizingly accepted by his sisters, his brother-in-law, and Ren, but he knew they would tease him mercilessly if they knew he had yet another difficulty on the road, and even worse, that he had been rescued by the young girls of the neighborhood.

"Ahh- Erm, yes, it was just a small hole," answered Yukihito nervously.

Kanae raised a brow as she watched Yukihito lose his cool. She glanced over at Kyoko to see if she was seeing the same uneasiness she was aware of. Kyoko quickly glanced back at her sister, a flicker of understanding passing between the two. Finding Mr. Bingley's anxiety interesting, she wondered how he would respond to her next phrase.

"It really was such a small hole—_I_ had no trouble pulling the carriage out at all," said Kanae with wide-eyed innocence. At this remark, nine sets of heads swiveled to look at Kanae.

Kyoko was shocked to hear her sister speak of the matter of the night before. She had been instructed not to speak the details of the rescue to the rest of the family, and now Kanae was telling everyone about it.

"Well, yes, I must thank you again for your kind assistance Miss Bennet and you Miss Kyoko for your willingness to seek out help," said a sullen Yukihito. _How could she do such a thing? _he thought, glancing over at the girl he had previously believed to be the epitome of beauty.

"Well, I felt your kindness to us ought to be repaid somehow," said Kyoko honestly.

"What kindness has my dear brother performed? Clearly, we have been left out of the loop," said Chiori, still amused by the developing story.

"The other day your brother rescued both me and my younger sisters here, strangers to him at the time, from the pouring rain. We had begun our journey home from Meryton, but the rain started well before we were in the vicinity of our home. We had stopped under a tree for a while to try to wait it out, but to no avail, so we had no other choice but to walk home. We were three quarters of a mile from home when we were obliged to step off the road and let Mr. Bingley pass. Seeing us in such a manner of distress—I will not venture to depict how uncouth we all looked, but be assured, we were acutely miserable and appeared that way—your brother generously pulled over and offered to ride us home. On the way there, we ran into a pot-hole which rendered the carriage incapacitated for a short while, but Kanae took the liberty of freeing it, and so all ended well." explained Kyoko conversationally.

For the first time during the whole of the introduction, Ren, who had thus far been present in body only, paid attention to the conversation. _Yukihito is inexplicably but most certainly cursed_, he decided mentally, shaking his head with the smallest of smiles.

Ren looked at the petite, fairy-like girl with unusually colored reddish hair. She was looking purposefully at his best friend with her as though she were trying to physically lift his dejected expression with her upbeat chatter and cheerful mannerisms.

"Are you fond of dancing, Mr. Bingley," asked Kyoko with kindly interest.

"Yes, I do enjoy a turn or two at times," answered Yukihito coolly, trying to regain his composure, "my sisters and my friend here are less apt to dance—nay, Mr. Darcy rarely submits to such pleasantries."

"And why is that?" asked Kyoko, turning toward the tall, handsome young man, "Are you very religious?" she asked solemnly.

Ren laughed openly at her suggestion, shocking his two friends, for he was a very stiff subject when in public.

"No, Miss Kyoko, I am not so very religious so as to feel in danger in dancing. I don't always enjoy the activity in itself," he answered.

"Oh, that is good," said Kyoko thoughtfully.

"Why?" asked Ren curiously; he had, after all, just claimed that he disliked dancing.

"You did not say that you absolutely hated dancing…I think that leaves some hope for you still," she said slowly, a little flushed in the face. _Why am I saying such things? Then he may think that I like him and I'm asking him to dance—oh, the thought! I would never—_

"Do you like dancing?" asked Ren, to the point, interrupting Kyoko's train of thought.

Chiori and Yukihito turned to Ren in pure astonishment.

"Yes, I am rather fond of dancing," answered Kyoko so uncertainly that it sounded like a question.

"Are you certain you like to dance? You seem…uncertain," Ren asked again with a smirk on his face.

"Yes," replied Kyoko solidly with a fire behind her eyes that proved her sincerity.

"Would you do me the honor of dancing the next set?" he asked seriously, looking intently into Kyoko's eyes.

"Yes. I-"

THUD

Everyone looked down in panic as they each realized that Mrs. Jelly Bennet had just fainted.

_What can he mean, asking me to dance? He said he did not like to dance himself, and why would he ask_ me _of all people to dance with_ him? pondered Kyoko in an agitated state of mind as she alternated between applying smelling salts and fanning her mother back to life.

Lory walked over to the table where his daughter and wife were seated with an unnatural look of glee etched across his visage. His Kyoko was going to dance with Mr. Darcy; he had always known she could not have been so unusually fascinating for nothing, and now Mr. Darcy wanted her, or at least appeared to be interested. He reigned in his happiness and exchanged it for a more fitting solemn look as he looked at his wife's sallow face.

"I've brought some wine for your mother, I'm sure she'll be quite herself after a sip."

Kyoko looked uncertainly at her mother who was looking rather languid, but passed her into her father's arms.

"Kyoko, I know your mother very well. She will be fine," said Lory seriously. He let Jelly, who had finally come to with the familiar scent of her husband, have a sip of wine.

"Oh Lord!" Jelly exclaimed loudly, looking unfathomably irked, "Why are you not in Mr. Darcy's arms yet? You should be dancing! I was overcome by joy that this rich young man should ask you to dance at all, especially when he is not over-fond of it in the first place, but just now you'll give me a heart attack if I don't see you in the dance set! Why are you here?"

"My dear, after I carried you here, Kyoko tended to you," interjected Lory reasonably.

"She has other sisters who have not been asked to dance to take care of me; I want the one who was asked by the handsome, rich-boy to be out on the dance floor. I'm trying to get all of you married, and you do everything to prevent the process from happening," said Jelly with a mock wounded look on her face.

"Mama, I only meant to be helping you," said Kyoko quietly, hurt that her mother didn't seem to appreciate the help she had received and embarrassed that she was making such a scene.

"You've helped, thank you," said Lory encouragingly, "I will take care of your mother, you shall dance. Go and find Mr. Darcy, quickly—the next dance will be starting soon."

With that, Kyoko went off in search of Mr. Darcy, she didn't get far when she was spotted by Kanae who was supporting Shoko, who was even more drunk than she had been previously. Kanae waved Kyoko over subtly.

"I need to get her out of here before she embarrasses herself and her family, can you help me?" asked Kanae desperately.

Kyoko glanced over to where the couples were gathering where she saw Ren standing. It would be a disgrace to miss a dance with him, but Kanae rarely asked for help, so she decided to take a risk.

"We must be very quick; it would not do to leave Mr. Darcy alone," she said.

"Does Mr. Darcy require constant supervision?" asked Kanae sarcastically.

Kyoko was peeved at her sister. She loved Kanae dearly, but her corrosive humor was too much to put up with sometimes.

"Kanae," she said, "You had better watch that tongue of yours, it will get you into trouble eventually."

"Help me keep her quiet, won't you?" said Kanae, ignoring Kyoko's statement entirely.

Shoko twisted around in Kanae's arms and planted a wet kiss on Kanae's cheek, "You are such a deear," she said genuinely albeit drunkenly. Kanae turned her back around and put Shoko's in the crook of her own.

"Hold her other arm in yours. That way we would look like three charmingly group'd young ladies taking a stroll. Let's get her to the carriages outside." Kanae instructed.

"Have you spoken to Sir Lucas? She is _his_ daughter after all," Kyoko pointed out.

"I think his pride would be wounded if he found that his daughter had over-drank at a public party; certainly the town would never hear an end of it."

"I did not think you were in the business of sparing people's pride, this must be a new past-time. You certainly embarrassed Mr. Bingley this evening."

"I didn't think that I was."

"I assure you, you did. Why? I thought you liked him," pressed Kyoko, trying to get a good look at her sister whose motives she could not comprehend at the moment.

"I do."

"Then why—"

Kanae sighed and let go of Shoko's arm, inadvertently forgetting that she was supporting Shoko's weight and letting her fall as she turned to face her sister with burning red cheeks.

"Let me clarify," began Kanae, "First of all, I don't _like_ him; I like his appearance so far. He seems like he could be kind and generally amiable, but I am not familiar enough to make or suppose any sort of conjecture as to his character."

Kyoko considered her sister's thoughts while Kanae continued, "Secondly, I don't know how to behave around a man I'm interested in…I'm always too nervous, and when I'm uncomfortable, I tend to do things I would regret."

"And are you regretting your actions now, because it seemed to me that Mr. Bingley will not be asking you for a dance," said Kyoko bluntly.

Before Kanae could answer, Shoko moaned, signaling that it was necessary to receive her from the floor.

"Help me get her up," directed Kanae.

Both girls leaned down to lift Shoko up by the armpits and got her upright.

"Oh Kyoko, your hair is sooooo soooo shiiiinnny," complimented Shoko in the midst of her inebriation.

"Thank you," answered Kyoko shortly, "We need to get her out, quickly."

The two girls quickly walked Shoko to the coat room where they each grabbed their coats and threw one over her. Once they got her outside, they quickly hailed a waiting driver, gave him directions, and sent Shoko on her way home.

Kyoko returned inside as quickly as she possibly could; she ran to where she had last seen Mr. Darcy, but did not find him there. She searched the now-dancing couples in dismay, at least to find him among that group, but she only saw Mr. Bingley dancing with a very animated young lady from the neighborhood and Miss Bingley looking on in obvious distaste.

Kyoko, somewhat encouraged by the sighting of Mr. Darcy's friend, was revived in her determination of finding Mr. Darcy and did not have to search for long when she felt a hand suddenly gently gripping her own. She gasped and turned around to find the very object of her search staring down with such intensity as to leave her breathless.

"Miss Kyoko, you promised me a dance not so long ago, you ought not to enter into bargains you've no intention of keeping," said Ren in a serious tone, letting go of her hand.

"Surely…I," began Kyoko who was quite flustered, "I'm so sorry Mr. Darcy, I meant to be dancing with you now, but there was an important matter to attend to, I'm very sorry, indeed I cannot apologize enough."

Kyoko was extremely vexed at herself for standing up Mr. Darcy, why had she thought that she could be quick enough with her and Kanae's ordeal with Shoko? Surely it would not do to anger such an important man as Mr. Darcy. She would have to make sure her mother would not find out about this particular incident, or else punishment in some form or fashion would be sure to reign down upon her.

"Would you still like to dance?" asked Ren plainly. The honest intrigue in his eye made her nervous and uneasy as she felt herself reacting to his stare. _How can he look at me like that, as though he's known me for years, we've only just met at the door! _thought Kyoko, bewildered. _Why am I so upset? I don't even know this man and I've absolutely sworn off any romantic possibilities after…_him. Kyoko felt that hated surge of anger creep up to her ears as she thought of Shotaro Wickham, the man she had pledged her love to, the man she had planned to spend the rest of her days under the sun with, the man who—

"Miss Kyoko?" asked an anxious voice.

Kyoko blinked twice and pulled herself out of her thoughts that were only getting blacker by the minute, "Ah, yes," she answered.

"Are you alright, can I get you some wine?" offered Ren.

"I'm sorry, sir, I am well," said Kyoko, trying to appear as she said she was.

_Damn_, thought Kyoko, _I might've lied to spare myself the trouble of dancing with him!"_

"Are you well enough to dance?" asked Ren, watching Kyoko's face in acute scrutiny.

"I..." Kyoko thought about saying yes—saying yes would be easy enough—but then she would have to pay for the consequences of her acquiescence, she could not afford to go through any sort of process that resembled what she had been through with Sho, and though this was only a first meeting, in her heart of hearts she believed what her mother had said: No dance was simply just a dance.

"I'm sorry, but I think it better to err on the side of safety," (well it was true, if not for a different reason altogether).

"I'm sorry you think so," smiled Ren sadly.

"Please excuse me," said Kyoko blushing, still uncomfortable with the way Mr. Darcy was looking at her, as though he was staring down her soul.

"Have a good night, Miss Kyoko, I hope we meet again soon," said Ren warmly.

Kyoko assented her agreement with a mere nod, curtseyed and quickly got herself out of the sight of the man who somehow easily effected her feelings.

Ren watched his cousin's back disappear into the crowd with a sigh. He knew her as soon as they were introduced: there were no eyes like hers in the whole of England—he did not know how she came to be living in an entirely different family than his own, settled so far away from her original home, particularly when she was supposed to be deceased, but she was captivating. She had very obviously grown into a very lovely young woman, and he hoped to get to know her better in the future. Surely fate had been shining upon him when Yukihito blindly threw a dart at the latest edition of the map of England to choose his next living location; he could not have been more blessed.

The night spent at the assembly hall proved to be much less than fruitless for her daughters than Jelly had hoped. Lory may have been right about Kyoko, her open, lively personality had even attracted the likes of Mr. Darcy but he had seen her second oldest daughter turn down Mr. Darcy _three times _consecutively. Although her husband prevented her from jumping from the balcony onto Kyoko's back for her offense, something drastic must be done about that girl, or else she would be living with them forever. On the other hand, she herself had witnessed Kanae shamelessly abuse Mr. Bingley in front of all present at the time. Her hopes for her favored daughter were thwarted by Kanae's own reckless tongue. What was a mother of five girls to do? To make matters worse, Anise and Momose had fought unbecomingly in the middle of a jig over a certain Lt. Falgon, and Teru naturally, had not caught a man's eye. She was very disappointed.

Although he stayed for a large portion of the ball, Yukihito was a languid dancer, showing no true interest or enjoyment in his once-favorite pastime. He couldn't believe that a young lady would behave in such a way as Miss Bennet had, most would be falling over their dress hems just to be in his vicinity—for her it was as though he couldn't be any more repulsive to him. At first he was totally disillusioned and angered by Kanae's little trick, but by the time he had seen her dancing with several other men as the night moved on, he believed her to be a modern woman and solemnly vowed to do whatever it took to become a worthy and fitting counterpart for her.

Kyoko went home from the ball with nettled thoughts. She absolutely regretted turning down Mr. Darcy's asking her to dance, but then she was angry with herself for being sorry that she had refused him.

"Are you attracted to him?" Kanae had asked later on that night as they got themselves ready for bed.

'How can you ask such a thing?" said Kyoko, looking away from her sister in embarrassment.

"That is not an answer. Are you attracted to him?"

"No, how could I be, we just met," answered Kyoko. She was not going to be harassed into any feeling for Mr. Darcy. Surely, he was handsome with his tall frame, dark hair and grey eyes, but she knew nothing of him. She conveniently stowed away any recollections on how he completely undid her with one penetrating look of those dark eyes, and how she felt when she had held her hand, and the way her stomach dropped when he'd pronounced her name.

"No, I am not attracted to him at all," she said firmly, trying to convince herself more than her sister.

"You already stated that 'fact'," said Kanae, eyeing her younger sister suspiciously.

Kyoko ignored that last statement, got in bed, pulled the heavy quilt up to her neck and rolled over on her side, facing away from Kanae.

"Fine," said Kanae, putting down the brush she had been using on her thick, black hair, and standing up to face the last candle that was lit on the dresser. She blew it out and climbed into bed with Kyoko.

"Stranger things have happened," stated Kanae simply, not having previously finished her sentence.

"Your feet are cold," was the only answer she received that night.

* * *

Happy 2011! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. I'm sorry for the late update. I was thinking I would post much sooner, but it didn't happen, so I apologize. I hope you like this chapter. Sorry it's so long, but I wanted most of the action to happen in one setting, even if it's disproportionate to the rest of the chapters posted. Anyway, if you like this chapter, write a review; if you don't, you can...

…write a review, lol.

Thanks,

Amtheoneuwant


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Skip Beat.

The names Teru and Anise are from Dengeki Daisy and Barajou No Kiss, two mangas that are good reads…but I also do not own.

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Chapter Six: Sisters

"Teru dear," spoke Anise loftily, "Would you mind asking Momose to move herself a bit to the left of her current position in the window—she's obscuring my view from where she sits now."

For the past two hours after the family's waking and eating breakfast, Anise had diligently executed her plan of not speaking directly to her sisters Kanae, Kyoko, and Momose who, in her opinion, had each wronged her in some way at the assembly ball the evening before. Since Teru had not offended her, Anise found it fitting that her youngest sister be the agent to transport her messages until her sisters repented of their transgressions against her.

Preventing Teru from the chance to walk across the room and deliver the message, Momose accurately hurled a decoratively crocheted pillow at Anise, hitting her square in the face.

"How dare you!" shouted Anise in total outrage, rubbing her sore nose.

Momose silently stalked out of the room with the book she had been reading, ignoring her sister.

"Kanae—" whined Anise, looking pleadingly at her eldest sister who, under general circumstances, usually promoted the justice amongst the sisters to right yet another wrong that had been committed.

"Ah, tut, tut," interrupted Kanae coldly, "Remember that you are _not_ on speaking terms with me either, or Kyoko for that matter. You would do well to remember who you've made enemies with."

Utterly furious at the treacherous treatment she was receiving, Anise fled the living room in a flurry, attempting to disguise her angry tears with the speed at which she was traveling.

Paying her overly-theatrical sister no heed, Kanae turned to Teru, who was looking flustered and upset by Anise's agitated exit from the room.

"Teru, I understand that you are young, but there are times when you must take a stance on your position on certain matters, unless you enjoy being pulled to and fro by the opinions of others," she said earnestly.

"Yes, I know," Teru answered quietly, bowing her head and sinking to her knees.

Kanae sincerely hoped that she would take the message to heart, but by no means did she want any tearful precipitation to manifest itself upon the face of her sister—anything but that!

"Mo! Don't cry, just listen to me, is all," cried Kanae.

Teru lifted her head and looked at Kanae, eyes filled with moisture but not yet spilling. _Ugh, I have to get her out of here before she starts to get upset_, thought Kanae anxiously. She was not a girl to deal with tears, she knew that much.

"If you feel so inclined, why don't you go tell Anise that you will not be her personal message-slave simply because she can't get along with the rest of us—there! I'm sure she was just calling you now," said Kanae, looking toward the open doorway that the strains of Anise's voice had just effused through.

"What shall I say to her?" asked Teru fretfully, tears seriously threatening to overflow.

"Use your wits, dear," smiled Kanae, standing Teru up and walking her through the door to the second staircase in the Bennet home.

"Tell me what to say!" cried Teru.

"Teru, if you can directly demand such things from me, than I am certain you have the ability to speak up to Anise without any further instruction from myself," said Kanae matter-of-factly.

Teru considered this last remark for a moment, then asked quietly, "What if she hits me?"

"Come and get me," answered Kanae with a quietness that only very partially concealed a deeper menace than that which awaited Teru upstairs.

Somewhat taken aback by her sister's response, Teru asked no more questions, spoke no more words and went upstairs to face off with Anise.

Kanae, however, went to find Kyoko, who must certainly be outside on such a fine spring day as this, especially when she seemed to think it necessary to avoid Kanae after last night's conversation. After a quarter of an hour of searching out a few of Kyoko's favorite haunts on the Bennet estate, Kanae thought it wise to head toward the garden where it was most certain her elusive sister would find solace. She was not disappointed, and found Kyoko staring wonderingly at some unseen being that seemed to reside in the vicinity of the small pond in a darker corner of the garden.

Kanae purposefully dragged her feet along the gravel to alert her sister of her arrival, "Playing at fairies at your age, mayn't be the most industrious way to capture a man's heart," she sighed. It was honestly rather perturbing to her that a girl of seventeen still solemnly believed in such nonexistent beings, especially when other girls at that age were already managing their own households.

"I suppose it is my good fortune that I am not seeking a man," answered Kyoko darkly.

"I'm sincerely curious as to why my own sympathetic and feeling sister should be so caustic on the subject of romance, especially when you are one of those who whole-heartedly believe in the absurdity of magic and all of its counterparts. I cannot bring myself to understand why you hold the belief that you can never love anyone after Sho—"

Here Kyoko interrupted, "Do not say _that_ name _here_," she stressed, "this is my sanctuary."

"Mo! Whatever! Just answer the question. Do you really, in your heart of hearts, truly believe you can never love again?" asked Kanae impatiently.

"Kanae, why does it matter? What difference can it make to you, one of the most indifferent individuals on the face of this terrestrial ball?" asked Kyoko, hoping to avoid answering the question by embarrassing her sister.

Kanae turned red and took three steps away from Kyoko, ready to avoid the question that had been posed, but she turned around with deliberation and faced Kyoko again.

"Because there _must _be somebody out there for you; I wouldn't have you miss him," she said softly, staring at the ground, blushing liberally.

In what seemed like half a second, Kanae found herself nearly knocked down by the strangling embrace of her beloved sister who was crying tearfully, "I love you, Moko-san!"

"Er, what?" asked Kanae, perplexed.

"What?" answered Kyoko, just as confused.

"You called me 'Moko-san' just now," Kanae stated flatly, staring at Kyoko.

"I did?"

"Yes, you did," Kanae could feel a tiny germ of irritation beginning to grow.

"Well now, that was odd. Where did that come from," wondered Kyoko with her arms still snugly wrapped around her sister.

"Yes, it was. Let go of me," commanded Kanae curtly.

"Oh goodness, I am so sorry," Kyoko apologized as she finally realized she was still holding on to Kanae. She took a step back, allowing Kanae space enough to massage her arms and return her circulation to its normal rhythms.

Returning to the conversation that was held before the small, nonsensical interlude aforementioned, Kyoko watched her sister rub her left arm and continued with a deep breath, "I cannot say what your words mean to me Kanae, only that they mean so much," here she paused a moment and then pressed on slowly and seriously, "but I do not think there is someone reserved especially for me in this world."

Kanae felt a distinct pain when she saw the real and profound hurt so obvious in the eyes of her sister. Through one despicable and decided turn of events, Sho Wickham had hoodwinked Kyoko into believing she was nothing, and no matter how absurd the thought was, Kyoko absolutely believed it. There was a part of Kanae that was angry with Kyoko for being so weak as to allow herself to be put under the subjection of someone she loathed so deeply…how could she give her power away so easily, how dare she? However, there was a larger part of Kanae that was fiercely defensive of Kyoko; she would do anything to protect her. _Sho Wickham had better watch his back, _thought she vengefully.

"Kyoko, you are brilliant. Why on earth do you keep speaking such twaddle and stupidity?" said Kanae disapprovingly.

"He broke my heart," sighed Kyoko. She had already had this all out with Kanae. She had already explained that she loved _him _with everything that she had in her grasp. After he left, there was nothing left for future uses, everything was over.

"So what? SO BLOODY WHAT?" yelled Kanae, "So now you are relieved from any responsibility? Kyoko, when your heart is broken, you don't hold onto it, it is not meant to be massaged and coddled like a newborn infant—LIKE A PET!"

Here she paused, catching her breath. She wondered at herself for losing her control so as to actually scream at her sister in such a fashion, but pressed on with a lowered tone.

"You owe it to yourself to press on, don't stop at that scum Wickham, you are far too good for that. Even if there is no one else who comes along, you must know that you have value and a place in this world, and you are meant to do good and be somebody in it. And where is our family's credit, where is _my _credit—we all love you too, and yet that doesn't count. That counterfeit Wickham gets it all. Is he the only one who deserves your attentions?" she ended quietly, hoping to let the thought sink in.

Kyoko stared at her sister, then whispered hoarsely, "You know I love you, Kanae. I love you all, but you don't know what it's like to be so utterly discarded by someone you have held in such high esteem, and someone who was such an intimate friend. You have not even been in love."

"No, I haven't, but I think I would have the sense never to give my soul to a man—it's as good as giving it to the devil himself! For all intents and purposes you have given yourself away, it's a pitiful sight," answered Kanae stoically. She was not going to be swayed by Kyoko's tear-filled eyes, this was something that needed to be said.

She was about to continue when she saw a figure fast approaching the corner of the garden they were in. It was Momose. Both Kanae and Kyoko instinctively dropped their conversation. Kyoko used the moments still available during Momose's trek across the lawn to assume a relatively calm countenance, erasing all previous emotion. She and Kanae turned to face her as she came closer.

"Have we had the post yet?" asked Kyoko, trying to figure just exactly what purpose Momose had in seeking them out.

"Oh, hang the post!" exclaimed Momose, "You must think I have nothing to do, if you think I've come out here just to tell you that," said she indignantly.

"Well, why have you come?" Kanae asked patiently, trying to prevent any further offense to her younger sister's pride.

"Because…I. have. NEWS!" shouted Momose exuberantly.

"You've been chosen as Mother's protégé?" smirked Kanae.

"No," glared Momose, "I daresay you'll have a reaction of your own when I tell you what I know."

"This transaction is taking a trifle too long for me," sighed Kyoko.

"I have to agree— do spit it out, Mose," demanded Kanae unceremoniously.

"Well, Mama ordered dinner enough for twelve tonight. I am nearly positive that we are having Mr. Bingley, his sisters, and his brother-in-law here to dine tonight. Oh, and Mr. Darcy of course," Momose added strategically, shooting a poignant look at Kyoko to see how she would handle the news. Kyoko showed no outward sign of disturbance, but inside she felt rather unsettled about this quickly approaching dinner.

Kanae wondered how on earth her parents had contrived to receive the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy so quickly, but she knew her parents were both boundlessly resourceful and also very persuasive.

"Well, that's my news," smiled Momose, rocking on her heels and swinging her arms looking pleased with herself.

"How do you know it's them coming to visit?" questioned Kanae skeptically.

"The way I figure it, too many of the larger families are out—the Nathanielsons are visiting in Bath, the Hurrels have some kind of circulating illness, Mother has effectively alienated the Bateses, and the poor Thompson's are in mourning—this leaves me a choice between the Bingleys and their party of five, and the Kissels; I have made it up that the Bingleys shall sup at our table a few hours hence. Also our mother's heightened irrationalness is also an indicator—it's quite wild in there now, actually." Momose's eyes danced with whatever visions of absurdity she had encountered within the walls of Longbourn.

Kanae looked at Kyoko, "Well, it does seem like a strong possibility," said she.

"Yes," agreed Kyoko quietly, almost totally preoccupied with fervent prayers that the Kissels rather than the Bingleys (or Mr. Darcy at any rate) be the ones to appear tonight. She imagined those eyes of his—she had only met him once, and already they had seen too much. She didn't know what she would do if she had to remain in his presence for several hours. Even within the territory of her own home she felt unequal to the task.

"Well, that's my news," repeated Momose cheerfully, "I am going to get ready now, I must look my best!"

"Well, I guess I had better go and select a dress myself," Kanae sighed. She really had hoped for a quiet family dinner tonight; there was some studying she had wanted to get done, but it would have to wait for the present.

"I suppose I must do the same for such an auspicious occasion," smirked Kyoko with a slight tone of sarcasm, trying her best to muster up a good attitude thereby avoiding the suspicions of her sisters.

"Let's do hurry," said Momose a little anxiously.

"Why on earth would we hurry?" asked Kyoko. It wasn't even noon yet and the guests, whoever they were, probably wouldn't arrive until six or so.

"As I mentioned earlier, Mother has been rather keyed up in the process of getting everything ready—you know how she is," answered Momose.

Both Kyoko and Kanae nodded once in understanding.

"Also, our little Teru meek and mild has taken it upon herself to have an argument with Anise," explained Momose further.

Kanae beamed her approval with a breathtaking smile. Kyoko knew immediately that she must be involved, "Let's hurry back," she agreed.

With that, Momose sprinted back toward the house, all excitement. The two older sisters lagged somewhat behind, moving with purpose, but by no means seriously exerting themselves in effort to reach their abode.

"Kanae," began Kyoko with a glance at her sister, "why is it that you only give me compliments when you are angry with me?"

Kanae chuckled and smiled at her sister, "To soften the blow."

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Hello Peoples!

Sorry I haven't updated all this while, I have had a lot of stuff going on. Even now I have limited access to a computer. I hope you liked this chapter even though it's a little boring without Yashiro and Ren-really sorry there's nothing particularly juicy here, but I wanted this chapter to be immersed in the relationships between the sisters. I just want to say that I am starting on the next chapter today and it will have Ren ^.^. I will try to update within two weeks. All reviews are extremely welcome, they help keep me going! On that note, thanks to those who have read and reviewed my story in my absence, it was really encouraging to see them-thank you very much :)

~Amtheoneuwant


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